If your back pain is chronic then chances are good you’ve tried all manner of conservative back pain remedies, stuff like resting, medication, heat or cold therapy, physical therapy, visits to the chiropractor and even cortiscosteroid injections. If the back pain persists it may be time to consider a more invasive approach.

Your primary care physician can help you find the right Neurosurgeon for your procedure. Here are some questions you should ask your surgeon well before your surgery date:

1) Are there alternatives to surgery?
You may think you’ve tried them all, but your neurosurgeon could have suggestions beyond what you’ve attempted thus far. Further, he’s seen your type of pain a great deal and may know just the conservative remedy for you.

2) What are the risks of this surgery?
It’s important that you know all the long and short term risks that accompany your potential surgery. This is a tough question to ask but it will help you to weigh your decision and it’s better to know the risks up front.

3) What are the benefits of this surgery?
This may sound like an obvious question, but it will help you make sure that the surgeon knows exactly what pain you’re having and that he’s discussing the operation that’s best for you. Further, there might be some benefits of the surgery that you don’t really need. Talk this one all the way through and help diagnose yourself fully.

4) What will happen if I don’t have this surgery?
There might be more factors than your continued back pain. If so, you should know these factors before making your final back surgery decision.

5) Where can I go for a second opinion?
This may seem like an odd question, but it’s a great test of your neurosurgeon’s mettle. If he’s quick to rattle off second opinion options then it’s clear that he’s confident in his diagnosis. His confidence should NOT be your only deciding factor. Even if you really like your doctor it’s imperative that you get that second opinion. You’ll have your back for the rest of your life so make sure you’re getting it the best care possible.

6) How long can I expect to be in the hospital?
The answer to this question gives you an idea of how invasive the procedure really is, plus it will give you an idea of how to plan for other aspects of your life such as work and family responsibilities.

7) How long will it take me to recover?
Full recovery from the surgery could potentially take longer than your stay in the hospital. Talk this one through with your surgeon to get a good idea of the full extent of recovery, and even some things you could do to speed recovery.

What if I still have back pain after surgery?
Be sure to ask this question of any and all neurosurgeons you see prior to surgery - it’s vital that you have a road map of the potential lengths you have to go through to achieve relief from your pain. Ideally, should pain persist, you’ll be able to relieve it using more conservative methods.

9) When can I resume normal activities?
This question should give you the final analysis on how long you’ll be out of commission due to the surgery. Be sure to have a list handy of all the activities that are important to you and go down the list with your neurosurgeon to see if there are any special cases that may have longer or shorter wait times.

10) What is your experience with this surgery?
Make sure you get at both angles of this question… You’re asking not only how many times your surgeon has performed the operation, but how well the operation has achieved its goals over time. Take your time with this question and get a thorough answer. You could also consider looking up your doctor’s online profiles to check his experience. Mine are here: Dr Steven Gelbard (from SpineUniverse.com) and here Dr Steven Gelbard (HealthGrades).

So there you have it, the top ten questions to ask your neurosurgeon before surgery. I also suggest that you ask him about costs, and what items or people you should bring with you to the hospital on the day of your surgery.

Dr Steven Gelbard has practiced Neurological Surgery for over 14 years, after 17 years of excellent extensive training including medical school, internship, residency training, and fellowships. Included in his training, Dr Steven Gelbard spent time at Harvard University, Brown University, Tufts University, New York University, University of Vermont, and several other excellent institutions of training. Dr Steven Gelbard has also received U.S. Patents for innovative inventions in the field of Neurosurgery and Spine Surgery.

Stylish women love high-heeled shoes but they are actually a nightmare to walk in.

These shoes can go as high as 15 cm (6 inches) and the front end can be about 2 inches high. Because they are many times heavier than normal shoes, they pose extra burden to the legs and cause unsteady footing and balance.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell once lost her balance in 8-inch platforms and tumbled on the runway. So much for making a fashion statement in platforms!

Victoria Beckham was reported (June 2007) to paying the price for constantly wearing stiletto shoes. She candidly confessed that her feet were giving her a headache. “I always wear stilettos but they have given me awful feet,” she said.

There you have it – wearing stilettos or high-heeled shoes for long periods of time can result in foot and ankle problems that include bunions, heel pain, and painful trapped nerves. Cramming toes into narrow pointed-toe shoes can cause corns, calluses and toe deformities.

Even small missteps in high heels can have disastrous results, and women are most likely to suffer a sprained ankle while walking in high heels.

Frequent wearing of high heels can also damage the Achilles tendon over time. Not surprisingly, women make up about 75% of the 2 million Americans suffering heel pain. A study by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) indicates that this can be traced to a shortening of the Achilles tendon in high-heel wearers.

In fact, permanent shortening of calf muscles and the Achilles tendon is the first problem that women who wear heels for a long period of time (6 months to a year) face. This creates discomfort when the muscles are stretched in flat shoes. That is why frequent high-heel wearers often find flat shoes uncomfortable.

From Europe to Asia, it is reported that high-heeled shoes have left many older women with a legacy of foot problems. Among them is a condition called hallux valgus, in which the joint between the foot and the big toe becomes deformed, leads to pain, walking difficulties and ultimately surgical correction for some.

High heels have also been proven to create back problems. For our body to balance, our center of mass must be located over a stable base. High heels throw the center of mass forward, putting more pressure on the ball of the foot and on already cramped toes.

Well-known Singaporean model Hanis Hussey once revealed that she wore high heels for 10 years before her back gave out.

“I had an x-ray done and it showed a weak lower back. The doctor asked me if I was in the habit of wearing very high heels,” she was quoted as saying in The Straits Times (Singapore).

Lydia Ismail is a writer, who writes about issues that affect our health,
lifestyle and well-being. Her first ebook titled “The Fashion Crap” certainly ruffles up some feathers in blogs and forums. It discusses fashion that can hurt, maim and kill. Lydia can be reached at http://www.fashioncrap.com and her blog at http://www.verygoodtips.com

So you’ve been diagnosed with a herniated disc. How will you cope with possible surgery? The good news is more than likely you won’t have to!

Being a former herniated disc patient myself, I wondered why or how I led myself to have this much pain in my back and left leg. The physician that diagnosed this condition said that I may need to have surgery. I was a little worried and wondered how I got this debilitating condition in the first place and wanted to find any alternative treatments if possible instead of surgery.

Not wanting to ever get a herniated disc again, I studied intensely into the causes of herniated disc and found a few leading factors that bring this condition on and what may have caused my herniated disc.

It was interesting to find out that it is more common to see this condition in people aged 35 to 55. Being overweight can put extra pressure on the discs and even smoking can cause degeneration in the disc. Lifting heavy objects the wrong way by twisting suddenly is a more obvious cause. Not eating enough nutritional foods such as fruits and vegetables and drinking 8-10 glasses of water daily can really have an impact. We are always reminded that our health relies heavily on what nutrition our bodies get on a daily basis.

The bad news is that sugar depletes our body of vitamins and minerals. It causes your body to not effectively absorb calcium and magnesium. Both are vital to bone strength. So it is important to watch our intake of sugar, which can be tough for me when chocolate comes to mind!

Stress contributes as well. It’s really difficult to think happy thoughts when you have this condition, you want to stress more, but just know that there are very effective ways of eliminating the pain of the herniated disc that don’t have to be as drastic as surgery.

What was extremely helpful in my recovery was stretching and strengthening exercises and a traction machine that I rented from my doctor. This type of therapy relieved the pressure from the spine and muscles, ligaments and tendons surrounding it. So the pain significantly decreased and I my back was feeling more flexible again with less pain and eventually pain free.

Verona Raymond gets results when dealing with herniated disc pain. Learn her secret to eliminate herniated disc pain and get her 7 step action plan. To receive your own free 7 step action plan, visit: http://www.herniated-disc-treatment.com

The last stage for most of the people is on the operating table for a number of different causes, and because of this there are thousands of people dealing with pain after knee surgery, including back pain. This back pain that’s experienced after having surgery can be due to a couple of different things, depending on what the surgery was for in the first place. It doesn’t seem reasonable to have back pain after knee surgery since that’s was the surgery was supposed to finish, but usually there is a certain healing time to be had before the person having the surgery starts to feel relief.

A lot of strain will be put on your back during your ambulation period either through crutches or through a walker. In place of getting relief from the actual knee problems after having knee joint surgery, patients still report having low back pain after surgery and it seems to hurt them when they need to move themselves. This will further increase your trouble.
Pre surgery requirements include proper conditioning and toning of back and lower limb muscles so that patient do not face must trouble after surgery.

Use A Walking Aid To Avoid Back Pain After Surgery:

Use an aid while walking to avoid pressure on your back as well as knees. Start with two crutches and as the condition improves move on with a single crutch.

One of the treatment to get rid of back pain after knee surgery that you can try at home is to lay on your back with a soft pillow under your knees. Do not put any undue strain on your knees and keep your back straight. This will keep the pressure off from your back and help in relieving the pain. You can also try resting your knees on a pillow that’s placed on a chair. Lay on your back and place your knees on the chair. Both of these are great remedies to relieve back pain after knee surgery.

Exercises Are Must To Avoid Back Pain After Knee Surgery:

You should not forget to perform your mild and simple exercises for back pain, and at the same time as doing exercises if you feel pain you must at once stop your exercise and cool down before recommencing once more. Another way of exercising for back pain after knee surgery is to strengthen your critical muscles in the abdomen, lower back, gluteus and quadriceps. And, you can also perform back and leg muscles strengthening by doing isometric exercises which do not involve any movement and strengthen your muscles. This will certainly help you with your back pain after knee surgery.

You can also find more info on chronic back pain and back pain upper. Backpainreliefhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to help in Back Pain Relief.

Backpain is something which can be reduced and cured. In this article I will explain one of the two ways that are the most effective to do this…

It is becoming more evident in scientific studies that many illnesses, diseases and health conditions are caused by excess inflammation. And backpain is a condition which can be relieved by reducing your inflammation. One such way to reduce inflammation is to take anti-inflammatory drugs. I recommend you avoid these as they can cause adverse side effects and negative health consequences later in life.

A natural and side effect-less way to reduce inflammation is to cut out inflammatory foods from your diet, and incorporate anti-inflammatory food and natural supplements. This natural anti-inflammatory method has proven to be much more effective than most other backpain treatments.

The inflammatory foods to avoid are omega 6 foods like nuts and vegetable oils, saturated fats found in meat, eggs and dairy, and lastly sugar!

The best anti-inflammatory foods to eat are oily fish and vegetables.

Just making these simple changes to your diet will make a huge difference to your inflammation levels, and should provide you with very noticeable positive results in reducing your backpain, within a few days of starting.

The last step I recommend in this anti-inflammatory approach to resolving backpain is taking the anti-inflammatory supplement fish oil. Fish oil has important omega 3 fats (as does oily fish) that are proven to reduce inflammation, and taking a supplement is a convenient way to get this vital fat into your body everyday.

David Carlton has a free website about curing your backpain. Check it out today at Backpain Cure.

The spine is made up of a series of bones connecting to each other commonly known as the vertebrae. The lumbar disc acts as a cushion between each bone of the vertebra, made up of strong connecting tissue. The lumbar disc has a hard exterior with a soft gel inside. As a person gets older typically this fluid is diminished, thus making it a not so effective cushion for the spine. Further to this, the center of the disc may also become herniated or, in other words, displaced. A lumbar herniated disc usually occurs to the two discs from the bottom of the lumbar spine.

A lumbar herniated disc can put pressure on the spinal nerves causing the condition known as sciatica. A lumbar herniated disc like other types of herniated disc is characterized by numbness, weakness, tingling and/or pain in the leg. Currently approximately 1 to 2 percent of individuals between the ages of thirty and fifty suffer from Sciatica. This is a frightening statistic, and one that demands attention. Back pain may also be caused by a lumbar herniated disc but if this is not accompanied by pain in the leg, then there may a different cause.

The good news for sufferers of a lumbar herniated disc, is that surgery is not required in eighty to ninety percent of cases. Normally, the physician will recommend non-surgical options to treat the lumbar herniated disc such as a short rest period, anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, physical therapy, exercises, and injection therapy.

Non-surgical treatments aim to reduce disc and nerve irritation and improve the patient’s physical condition in order to protect the patient’s spine and enhance general function. An organized treatment and care program combining a number of the aforementioned treatments is effective in treating the majority of lumbar herniated disc patients.

After observing the recommended period of non-surgical treatment, if the pain still persists with the lumbar herniated disc, and hinders the patients from normal activities even after the completion of non-operative treatments, then the physician may recommend surgery as a last resort.

It is important to note that the patient may not regain complete leg strength with surgery but it can serve to prevent further weakness in the legs as well as relieve pain. In fact, surgical treatment is typically recommended in order to relieve leg pain but it is not as successful as relief for the back pain itself.

After surgery, you should rely on your doctor’s advice in terms of which activities are suitable. Obviously this will depend on the severity of the lumbar herniated disc The first step after surgery is to take basic steps to see if there are any lingering pain issues. In most cases patients are able to go home on the same day or within 24 hours of the lumbar herniated disc surgery. The following activities should be avoided by patients following the surgery: bending forward, lifting heavy objects, sitting for a prolonged time and driving. It is advisable to follow a rehabilitation program recommended by your physician or hospital. You doctor or physician will be able to assist in determining which exercises and rehabilitation methods will be most effective in reducing the chance of the lumbar herniated disc returning.

Want further information on herniated discs, symptoms and treatments? Please visit:

http://www.herniated-disc-advice.com

Looking for a cure for your herniated disc? Please visit:

http://www.herniated-disc-advice.com/Treatments.html

(Visitors will receive a FREE Ebook on herniated disc exercises)

Nothing can support you as firmly as a Tempurpedic mattress. Imagine a night spent without endless tossing and turning to find a comfortable position! Sleep dreams can be realized with a Tempurpedic mattress.

The most immediate difference between a Tempurpedic mattress and its competitors is the lack of bulky padding and springs. Tempurpedic mattresses are totally a breed apart. Tempurpedic mattresses were actually developed based on technology first developed by NASA. Space travel and the mattress industry may not seem natural partners, but the technology NASA was seeking to develop to reduce the effects of G-force pressure on their astronauts is the same goal Tempurpedic mattress makers had for their beds: to relieve pressure.

A Tempurpedic mattress works to relieve pain and stiffness by evenly distributing pressure throughout the body. It offers great support for your spine and joints. Instead of bedsprings pushing against you, you feel cradled in the perfect position, almost weightless. There is no stress on your muscles and joints as there can be with traditional mattresses, especially one which sags. You may even find yourself not moving the entire night. As a result, Tempurpedic mattresses are perfect for those who suffer from restless leg syndrome or painful conditions like arthritis. Nothing makes you awaken more rested than a night on a tempurpedic mattress.

If you have trouble sleeping, wake up feeling tired from rolling constantly or are stiff and pained, it is probably the result of a poor mattress. A Tempurpedic mattress really can make a difference in how you sleep and how you feel.

Ionia Huffman is a Journalist and Author based in Encino, CA.
http://www.relaxtheback.com/

Eight out of every 10 people will have back pain at one point or another. While a percentage of those are due to traumatic injury or a congenital condition, most back pain is due to overuse of weak, deconditioned muscles. The good news is that this means much back pain is preventable. These five simple tips will help you prevent that nagging back pain, or avoid it altogether if you are lucky enough not to suffer from it now.

Strategy 1: Proper Lifting Technique

Don’t try to lift objects too heavy for you, and always use proper lifting technique. You want to lift with your legs and not your back, as your legs are much stronger. Make sure you pull in your stomach muscles and keep your upper body straight, without bending at the waist or rounding your lower back. Try not to look down as this can cause your shoulders to round forward. Keep the object as close to your body as possible, and do not twist when lifting.

Strategy 2: Good Sitting Posture

Sit in a chair with good lumbar support and proper position and height for the task. Keep your shoulders back. Monitor your sitting position often and periodically walk around the office or gently stretch muscles to relieve tension. Do this by standing, placing the palms of your hands on your lower back, and bending back slightly, looking at the ceiling as you exhale.

You can purchase a lumbar support to place on your chair, or a pillow or rolled-up towel placed behind the small of your back can provide some lumbar support. If you must sit for a long period of time, rest your feet on a low stool or a stack of books.

When sitting, try to avoid sofas and chairs with thick cushioning as these can force your lower back out of line. Don’t sit with your hips out in front of your shoulders, as this will cause you to round your lower back which can lead to back pain.

Strategy 3: Adjust Your Sleeping Position

Sleep on your side, and to reduce any curve in your spine place a pillow between your knees. This will keep your top leg from pulling your pelvis out of line, which in turn causes your spine to be out of line. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow underneath your knees. Avoid sleeping on your stomach, and always sleep on a firm surface.

You spend almost a third of your life asleep, so your mattress is not a purchase you want to make solely based on price. The right sleeping surface can make a world of difference in how your back feels every day.

Strategy 4: Quit Smoking

If you smoke, quit. Most people don’t realize this, but smoking reduces blood flow to the lower spine and causes the spinal discs to degenerate. Not that you really needed another reason to quit smoking…

Strategy 5: Strengthen Your Core Muscles

As I said, most back pain is caused by weakened and deconditioned core (abs and back) muscles. Correcting this can do wonders, and is easier than most people think. Core exercises such as those contained in my program “A Healthy Back in Ten Minutes a Day” can be done without any equipment, and can be done anywhere. And, a routine of core-strengthening exercises such as Planks, Side Bridges, Back Extensions, and others can easily be added to your existing exercise program, or done by themselves in less time than it takes to read the daily paper.

Of course, following any period of prolonged inactivity, you must begin any exercise or fitness program slowly, and only after consulting with your primary health care provider. If you have any known medical condition or take any medications, it is imperative that you check with your doctor prior to making changes in your activity level.

There you go. If you employ these some or all of these simple tips, your back will start to feel better quickly. Even though I live with 2 herniated disks, these tips, along with the basic exercises I teach in “A Healthy Back in Ten Minutes a Day”, keep me virtually pain-free. They can do the same for you.

Dave Soucy is a Fitness Expert, Coach, Consultant, Author, and Certified Personal Trainer. He is the author of several works including “A Healthy Back in Ten Minutes a Day” at http://www.YourHealthyBack.com and “No Equipment? No Excuses!” at http://www.UltimateHomeWorkout.com More information on Dave and his programs can be found at his blog, The Truth About Diets and Fitness, at http://www.TheTruthAboutDiets.com

These signs are crucial since they will allow you to recognize when you require to look for attention for your back pain and who you should seek treatment from.

Firstly, you had better recognize that the most common area for a disc herniation is the low back. These discs absorb the maximum pressures in your spine.

The second most common place is in your neck. The least common place is in your mid back. Your ribs tie to this area and provide a lot of support and stability making this an improbable area for a herniation. There are a few general signs that a disc herniation possibly present.:

1. Pain that injects from your back or neck to your hand or foot. Shooting or cutting pain is what pain from a herniation feels like. If this pain goes all the way to your hand or foot then this possibly a disc herniation. Pain that ends before crossing your knee or elbow is most likely to be referred pain.

2. Numbness or titillating in your hands or legs. When a nerve is squeezed off by a disc herniation you might sense a numb or pins-and-needles sensation in your legs, hands or feet. This sensation will be in a particular region such as the little finger and ring finger of one hand or the outside or your lower leg. Different nerve roots are responsible for sensation to particular regions of the body. You may observe that an area feels like it is “numb”, such as when you sleep on your arm or sit on one leg too long. The phenomenon is the same. When you pinch off a nerve with pressure, the corresponding body part will tingling.

3. Weakness. The first two symptoms address what occurs once receptive nerves are squeezed. When motor nerves from the same nerve root are squeezed you may observe helplessness of specific muscle groups. Primary examples of this helplessness are decreases in hand grip strength or an inability to stand on your toes. Although helplessness is not the most common sign of a disc herniation it is one of the more serious ones.

4. Shifting your position makes a difference. When you are examined for back pain and your doctor wants to ascertain whether it is plausible that you have a herniation, he will try to detect positions that stretch particular nerves. When a nerve root is pinched off at the spine by a herniation and the nerve gets stretched, it will generally increase any symptoms you have (Pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, etc.) On the one hand, perhaps the only way you have found to alleviate your hand pain is to hold your hand over your head. This is a primary and often definitive sign that you have a herniated neck disc. Holding your hand above your head removes all of the tautness off of the nerves running into your hand.

5. Extremity pain may be worse than back or neck pain. When you have a disc herniation it is conceivable that you don’t even have any back pain. That is partly true. Your leg or hand pain from a herniation possibly so acute that you do not observe the comparatively smaller amount of back or neck pain. Discs are pain sensitive but nerve roots are far more sensitive and normally if you have a herniation of a disc the hand or leg pain will be twice as bad.

6. The symptoms are on one side only. When a disc bulges or herniates it will typically bulge to either the left or right. Whenever you have pains down both legs or to both hands then other causes need to be looked at such as tumor, or additional disease.

7. Painfulness when you straining. You may discover that your symptoms (pain, tingling, numbness, etc.) increase if you strain when lifting a heavy load. This increases the pressure in your spinal cord and may further compress a nerve root; increased pinching leads to increased symptoms. This is a really good indicator that your trouble is a disc herniation.

Now that you understand some symptoms of disc herniation you should also know that there are lot more causes for a disc herniation. They can be induced by some traumatic force but more often they come on when you least anticipate it. Low back disc herniations can come from repeated gyration stress. For example,

if you are loading heavy boxes into the back of a truck and instead of squaring up yourself in front of a box, lifting it up and then walking to the truck, you are twisting to grab the box and then twisting to place it in the truck, you are putting your discs under an extraordinary amount of tension. One of the most stressful loads you can place on your spine is to sit slouching forward for an extended periods. Because this reason, truck drivers are particularly prone to low back disc herniations. It’s also getting more and more common with people who spend lengthy periods of time in front of a computer.

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